Berlin Christmas Market Private Walking Tour With A Professional Guide

Our tour starts at the Brandenburger Gate, where you will also be introduced to life in Berlin today, with our guide. We will continue to the Berlin Wall, where you will all about life on the other side. During the cold war and of communist East Germany, a real-life Grinch stole Christmas and turned it into a “socialist festival for peace.” However, the old tradition of Christmas markets continued behind the Berlin Wall. Then we continue to Check-Point Charlie, where you will learn about the time the Berlin Wall came down for Christmas. Fifty years ago, families torn apart by the Iron Curtain were allowed to cross the divide – for one day only. It was the Berlin Wall Truce, a visa agreement between East and West Germany during December 1963. You will also learn the influence of JFK’s famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech to the truce that allowed divided families to see each other one more time. Then it’s a short walk to the posh Gendarmenmarkt, where you will find here a mix of art and craftsmanship as well as several shows in the square and on the main stage. Acrobats, dance shows, choirs, jugglers, and even world-famous artists will lighten the evening. You will also find tents where wood carvers, leatherers and many other international artisans will show you their art. A bit further you will see talented graphic artists, photographers, stonemasons and painters display their works. The culinary pallet takes you from the traditional Christmas gastronomy, to unusual snacks and even fine cuisine. In the background will be the French and the German Cathedral, as well as Berlin’s Concert Hall. Today Germans from both sides of the former wall say Christmas faces a new threat: unfettered commercialization. This you will not find in this Christmas market, where there’s a steady flow of tourists and locals lining up to wind their way through a shop selling traditional Christmas handicrafts, a full display dedicated to wood carvings from the Erzgebirg mountains.